Hello all

So this week has been only slightly busy and not really fruitful so that is not really good! Technically I am not complaining because I got to chill out
quite a bit. We started out shopping for Kate's new swim suit on Monday. This is not an easy task... have any of you shopped for a modest suit lately??? On top of actaully wanting a modest suit was trying to find a suit that FIT. We wanted a nice fit, a young look but still modest and that equals hours of shopping and a head ache! But we found one and she loves it and feels good in it and Daddy approves (he approves all the girls clothing) so we are good. I didnt know we needed a new bathing suit in time to put it in our budget so it came out of misc. which was short this month for a variety of reasons SOOOOOOOOOO that equals being really short because a bathing suit that fits, is nice and is modest ISNT CHEAP! Okay onto other topics.

We had more disasters in math this week SO we are taking a break. I am going to let her play computer games and do some or our neuro work for a few weeks, in the mean time I will research and decide if I will go with Math U See or stick with what we have and just slow it down. I am stressing and she is definitely stressing so we are STOPPING. Just a little break! I was very discouraged and in talking it over with hubbie I kindof got over the disappointment and just felt better to have a new plan! So that is good.

Emily is balking at reading again...... I know how much she can adn cant do but every few weeks she "forgets" how to read... like the word it or at, or maybe she "forgets" what the letter e says. I KNOW she doesnt and she is just pushing my buttons so of course I get frustrated but the new plan is BRIBERY! We printed out the Chuck E cheese reward charts for reading so it is working for now, she actually brought me something to read today!

We finished a really good book on the Alamo- it was slightly told from both sides which I thought was neat. It was very graphic for a kids book but it really told the story.. for instance it will say something like - the smell of death lingered in the air as much as the smoke from still smodering fires, bodies lay in piles around the courtyard, etc. It was graphic but you felt like you were there in a good way. I know that sounds weird but it works for us. My kids do not really like gore by any means and the book WAS NOT full of gore but it was just graphic enough to truly get the picture. We also learned what happened later in the lives of the -people who survived the Alamo, Susanna Dickerson and her daughter Angelina in my opinion did not live very good lives when all was said and done, I wonder if they just never got over it? Also Enriquez Esparaz (sp) he seemed to live a normal life but he never had a conversation about it with a reporter until like he was 80 years old! We are going to work on a diaroma of the Alamo next week.

We read some more of Old Yeller- the kids really like it but I am DREADING when they find out what happend!!! They are SSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not going to be happy with me!

So here is a thought... I am all about rules. I will follow rules 99.9 % of the time, I read coupons, if a sign says do not bring food in ( I will not sneak it into my purse) you get the picture... I like to follow the rules. So my thought is how do you feel about double dipping- no not in cheese dip! Summer Reading Programs! Do you simultaneously work on each program reading different books or do you use the same books for each program? If the rules do not state to not use in connection with another reading program then you are not breaking rules but seriously isnt that just assumed? I am on the fence about this subject!

I am going to a home school convention tommorow. Usually I would have planne, replanned and replanned again all the seminars I would be listening to. I would have option a, b and c lined out and relined out! I would have maps to all locations and fire exits highlighted on my sheet!!! But I've got nothin! I mean I did go over some of the classes tonight but I have NO IDEA what I will actually be doing at 9:00 in the morning! That is totally UNLIKE me! I am BLAH! I think I really want to go and I am very, very sure that I will learn things and get encouraged by the speakers. Also there is just something special about being surrounded by like minded people ( of course it is just home schooling we are like minded about- and even in that we differ GREATLY) but still there is a comradarie!

I guess that's all folks, I must sleep so I can leave my house at 7:45 for the conference I have no plans for yet!